Welcome to The Home Equity Theft Reporter, a blog dedicated to informing the consumer public and the legal profession about Home Equity Theft issues. This blog will consist of information describing the various forms of Home Equity Theft and links to news reports & other informational sources from throughout the country about the victims of Home Equity Theft and what government authorities and others are doing about it.
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Michigan AG Scores Another Criminal Conviction In Probes Targeting Loan Modification Ripoffs; Suspect Cops Plea To Racketeering, False Pretenses
In Holly, Michigan, M Live reports:
A Holly woman pleaded guilty for her role in a foreclosure rescue scam that bilked victims out of nearly a quarter-million dollars.
Tashia L. Winstanley, who did business as TLW Mortgage Solutions, pleaded guilty to one count of conducting criminal enterprises (racketeering), one count of false pretenses more than $20,000 and one count of false pretenses from $1,000 to $20,000, according to court records. Attorney General Bill Schuette announced the charges against Winstanley,who was already incarcerated at the Huron Women's Correctional Facility, in May.
An attorney general's office investigation led to the charges, showing that from September 2009 until January 2012, Winstanley operated TLW as a mortgage modification business and collected a fee from clients without making any effort to secure the modifications. Schuette's office said victims came from eight counties, including Genesee County.
Winstanley is serving time for previous convictions for larceny by conversion. She is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 14. People who believe they are victims of Winstanley or TLW can file a complaint at www.michigan.gov/ag.
CBC News: Betrayal of Trust (A CBC investigation reveals how lawyers across Canada have misappropriated and mishandled clients money, to the tune of tens of millions of dollars, or sometimes even charging vulnerable people top dollar for shoddy services)
Land Contract/Contract For Deed/Rent-To-Own Rackets
The New York Times: The Housing Trap (In the wake of the housing crisis, low-income families have turned to seller financing to buy homes but these deals can be a money trap)
Beware The Fine Print: Consumers Forced To Sign Away Their Rights To Use Court System
The NY Times: Arbitration Everywhere, Stacking the Deck of Justice(Part 1 in series examining how clauses buried in tens of millions of contracts have deprived Americans of one of their most fundamental constitutional rights: their day in court)
Foreclosure Mills' Abysmal Record In Complying With New NYS Foreclosure Requirements
Justice Deceived: How Large Foreclosure Firms Subvert State Regulations Protecting Homeowners
MFY Legal Services Report On Questionable Practices By Process Servers In Debt Collection Cases
Justice Disserved: A Preliminary Analysis of the Exceptionally
Low Appearance Rate by Defendants in Lawsuits Filed in the Civil Court of the City of New York
Mortgage Mess Redux: Robo-Signers Return (A Reuters investigation finds that many banks are still employing the controversial foreclosure practices that sparked a major outcry last year)
CNN Video: As Foreclosures Mount, Florida Court Turns To 'Rocket Docket'
The Wall Street Journal: A Florida Court's 'Rocket Docket' Blasts Through Foreclosure Cases (2 Questions, 15 Seconds, 45 Days to Get Out; 'What's to Talk About?' Says a Judge)
"Produce The Note" Strategy When Dealing With Missing Promissory Notes In Foreclosure Actions
ABC Video: Fighting Against Foreclosure (Some homeowners have found a new tactic to keep the banks at bay)
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